Many of us are faced with a new reality this week and trying to figure out how to continue to run our businesses while practicing social distancing. I became an entrepreneur years ago after a successful career as a litigator when I survived a near death accident. Over the years I have had to be confined to my home anywhere from a few days to a few months due to multiple surgeries. And yet I have still been able to grow my business and so can you. Here are 5 ways you can stay engaged with your customers and clients from home:
- Host a Facebook Live. Go live and either teach the attendees something within your expertise or host a live Q & A to offer advice within your field. You can also simply go live and discuss with others how they are managing their businesses and discuss how you can support each other.
- Provide a daily tip. Starting this week I began to provide a daily marketing or networking tip on social media. The first day I posted it to all my channels but indicated that going forward I would be posting the daily tips to my LinkedIn company page and business Facebook page only. This has the added benefit of increasing my followers.
- Host an online group activity. For example, get 8-10 people in your network together and agree to create vision boards. Then set a time where you can use technology like zoom or skype to come together as a group to discuss your personal and professional goals and do a “show and share” with the rest of the group.
- Support other businesses. Starting this week I decided while we are home I will showcase a local business each day on my social media to help them gain visibility during this time when many of us are suffering financially.
- Host your event virtually. Much of my work involves speaking for a living and with the current situation many event planners are faced with cancelling or postponing events. One event I am involved with has decided instead of speaking live I will host a webinar for their paid attendees. Have you considered this as an alternative? You can also generate some income by creating and hosting your own webinar without leaving your home.
Jennifer Lynn Robinson, Esquire is the CEO of Purposeful Networking. Her services include consulting, moderating, keynotes and workshops to help build networking, communication and public speaking skills. A former litigator, Jennifer also does motivational speaking detailing her path of reinvention following a near death accident. She has been featured in local and national media including CBS, NBC, FOX, Forbes, The Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune and Philadelphia Magazine. You can learn more at purposefulnetworking.com and follow Jennifer at @areyounetworked.